the church geek

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Take this Bread is the story of Sara Miles, a liberal, lesbian, journalist, and political activist who is ‘unlikely and inconveniently’ converted to the Christian faith; first in a moment of radical encounter with Jesus at the table of communion and then through continued conversion as God works with in her and calls her to start a food bank ministry in her church.

Sara’s is not the traditional I met Jesus and he cleaned up my life sort of conversion. Nor is this a subscription to what many would regard as ‘orthodox’ faith, belief, or practice. Instead this is an I met Jesus, things got really messy, and I’m still trying to figure it all out sort of conversion.

This is not a tightly written book; at times it is just as messy and unclear as her own conversion seems to be. Yet is a compelling story of a bodily experience of faith. The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist speaks so strongly to Sara because of its physicality and earthiness. The Christian faith she seeks to embody is one that is lived and fleshed out in the reality of this very real physical world. Spirit and flesh are at work together in this story.

This story is also compelling because of its honesty in dealing with struggles, doubts, frustrations, and costs of a life of faith, as well as her struggle with an apparent commitment to ride along in the same boat as those Christians whose expression of faith is way to the right of her own.

For conservative and I bet even for liberal folks alike, this will not be an easy book to read. In fact, I expect it will draw significant ire and criticism. But since Sara has clearly committed herself to this boat we all find ourselves in together, hers is a voice we all probably need to take the time to listen to.

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This shop on Ellis Ave has always captured my eye whenever I’ve driven by it.

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Follow this link to a top 10 list of outrageous things heard by Tony Marr (be sure to read the comments also.)

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Got home really late last night. There was almost no one else at the airport as I waited a few minutes for my wife to pick me up.

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On top of an Utahan Mountain.

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Mark Scandrette’s book Soul Graffiti is a wonderful and compelling vision for life in the Way of Jesus. He does one of the best jobs to date of constructing a way between the gospel of social justice and of personal salvation. This is a truly wholistic expression of the gospel, and is a beautiful picture of the very best that the emerging church has to offer.

Each point Scandrette makes is woven not only with scripture but with compelling personal stories that serve to capture your attention and drive home his point. These are stories you will not easily forget. They serve to make it clear that Scandrette truly strives to live in the way of Jesus.

If you are looking to understand why simply ‘believing in Jesus’ is so difficult and not enough for us in this day and age, then I think this book will open your eyes and set your feet on a new path, one walking in the Way of Jesus.

Full of echoes of Dallas Willard and NT Wright, the best of thinking from these two contemporary giants of the faith is brought to a very accessible and readable level. From now on, this will be one of the first books I pull off my shelf when someone expresses a desire to explore the faith or to grow deeper in their knowledge of what it means to follow Jesus.

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A spire of the Mormon Temple reflected in the window of the neighboring Family Research Center. I have another photo here of what turns out to be a popular spot for wedding photography; the Temple Square.

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Some kids at the reflection pool in front of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.

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Was hoping to capture a bee but found this green bug instead.

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It’s been a long time since I’ve read a work of fiction, due primarily to a lot of time spent keeping up with the blog world, my photo 365 project, and reading books mostly on ministry, theology, and the emergent church. I think the last time I read a book for “fun” was sometime last summer. All the while, I’ve felt impoverished by this.

My first foray back into the world of fiction, comes by way of a book that grabbed my attention off the ‘new’ bookshelf in my library. With a title like the “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” who wouldn’t be hooked? Little did I know the secret this book written by Mohsin Hamid had in store for me.

This cleverly titled book is the self-narrated story of a young Pakistani who enjoys a taste of but then ultimately rejects the American life. It is a short (I read it in about 3 hrs) thought provoking look at the vast divide between the east and the west, and between those who hold power and those who are victimized by it.

Without hopefully giving away too much, the question this novel attempts to explore is this: in a battle against fundamentalism, who really is the fundamentalist? For those of us entrenched in the American dream, this will not be an easy book to read but is one that most of us probably should.

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A shot of the moon from downtown Cedar Rapids.

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Derek Redmond was determined. He had to finish the race. Period.

Derek was a young British runner, who had sky rocketed to fame by shattering his country’s 400-meter record at age 19. But then an Achilles tendon injury forced him to withdraw from the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. To get it all repaired he underwent five separate surgeries.

When the Summer Olympics arrived in Barcelona in 1992, Derek absolutely ached for a medal. On the day of the 400-meter race, 65,000 fans stream into the stadium, hoping to witness one of sports’ most thrilling events.

High in the stands is Derek’s father – Jim - a faithful witness to every one of his son’s world competitions. According to ESPN, Jim is wearing a T-shirt that reads, “Have you hugged your foot today?”

The race begins and Derek breaks through the pack seizing the lead. “Keep it up” his father Jim says to himself. Heading down the backstretch, only 175 meters from the finish line, Derek looks like a shoo-in to win this semifinal heat and to qualify for the finals.

But then Derek hears a pop. He pulls up lame, looking as if he has been shot. His leg quivering, Derek begins to hop on the other leg, and then he slows down and falls to the track. Medical personnel run toward him as he sprawls on the ground, holding his right hamstring.

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Yesterday, I received notice from the Iowa State Fair that none of the four photos I submitted for this year’s Photography Salon were selected to be displayed. I certainly didn’t have any expectations to win an award but I had hoped that one or two of them would be displayed. (There are three awards in each class and in addition a number of entries in each class are selected for display during the fair.)

What I find most frustrating about all of this is the sheer lack of information. I personally had a hard time deciding if the photos I submitted were appropriate for each class, so I am naturally questioning some of my decisions about that. Also since I only received a generic rejection postcard it’s hard to know what qualities my photos lacked and what would have made them better. I am looking forward to going to the photo salon to get an idea of what types of photos worked and got displayed.

I’m starting to realize that good photo critique is very important, but it’s something that is hard to come by. You can get some of that on Flickr if you submit your photos to the right group. But on Flickr I find that the preference leans toward bright flashy photos that immediately grab your attention when folks are looking at a page of small thumbnails. I haven’t had the time to submit photos to photo.net, but I might start doing that now.

Anyway, if any of you photo buffs out there have any suggestions about where and how to get good critiques of your photos or ideas about getting instruction to improve your skills, I’d love to hear them!

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I’m cheating today, and posting a picture I took a few weeks ago. This is a variation of photo #16 I took in the winter. See the original here.

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